Chapter Two

"Underaged drinking is off the table," Sophie whispered to Maggie as they walked into a bar called The Naked Lady.

"We are not underage; we are twenty-one; it says so on your I.D., Miss Avery Jones," Maggie whispered back.

The Naked Lady was rustic-looking and sited at the wrong end of town. The sound of loud music playing in the background and the voices and noise from people in the bar filled the ambiance with a sense of discord.

"What can I get you, ladies?" The bartender asked Maggie and Sophie as they sat down on bar stools at the end of the bar.

The bartender was young and good-looking. His short hair was dyed blonde, and he wore an earring on his right ear. His muscular physique was conspicuous through the white body hug T-shirt he wore, and a massive tattoo ran from under the sleeve on his left arm to his wrist.

"Martinis," Maggie responded with a smile, and then she winked at him. He winked back at her and moved on to the other side of the bar to prepare their drinks.

Maggie turned to smile at Sophie, but she met Sophie's disapproving gaze instead.

Maggie shrugged. "What? He is hot."

Sophie was about to lecture her about the dangers of being too flirtatious, especially with strangers, when a much older, scruffy-looking male bartender appeared.

"Can I see your IDs?" His voice was rough and very loud. He was a huge, hairy blond man with a long goatee. He wore a black leather vest, and a broken heart tattoo was visible on his right arm.

Sophie and Maggie quickly handed him their IDs.

"Twenty-one, my ass," he scoffed as he looked at their IDs.

Before the mean-looking bartender could say anything further and blow their covers, Sophie quickly stood up and brushed her fingers over his left hand. Instantly, he smiled, revealing a chipped tooth.

"Sorry about the confusion, ladies," he apologized, returned their IDs to them, and walked away.

The younger-looking bartender returned a minute later with their martinis. He dropped the glasses of martinis on the counter in front of Maggie and Sophie.

"It's on the house from Big Rick; he said he was sorry."

Maggie grinned. "Thanks, Big Rick."

"Thanks," Sophie mumbled with less excitement.

The bartender winked at Maggie again before he went away.

"I told you this was going to work," Maggie whispered to Sophie as she took a sip of her martini.

Sophie acknowledged Maggie's words with a nod and a polite smile, then she took a sip of her martini and mulled about how humans could be so susceptible to magic and yet so oblivious to it at the same time.

"I wonder how Daniel's game is going now," Maggie said out of the blue.

"Great, it ended already. They won. He sent me a text."

Maggie looked at Sophie and grinned. "You know my brother likes you, no, loves you, right?"

Sophie thought of Daniel and smiled. "Daniel is great."

"But?"

At this moment, Sophie wished she could tell Maggie the truth. She would tell her about the mate bond of the house of Nigon and how it was forged after the death of King Alakar, the only immortal to have died in ten thousand years not from war but from poison because he had fallen in love with a lady from the house of Isda. The elders of Nigon had summoned ancient magic to weave a bond unbreakable and stronger than any magic to ensure that the house of Nigon remained untainted by any other houses in Asland.

"But nothing; he is great."

"So you are going to give him a chance?" Maggie's expectant green eyes stared at Sophie for a response.

Sophie did not want to ruin her friend's hope, so instead, she mumbled, "Please, let's talk about this someplace else."

Maggie frowned. "Don't tell me you are still hung up on Damon Crest. That guy is a douche."

"I know, and I am not hung up on him; it's complicated." Sophie snapped.

"Then, what aren't you telling me?"

'Everything!' Sophie screamed in her mind, and then she sighed, "Nothing. You know, our parents have arranged our marriage since I was born, and I live at his parents' house."

"Yeah, I know his parents' are your benefactors and half the town's. The Crest family turned this shithole of a town into the megacity it is today."

Sophie nodded. "Yeah, so you understand me."

"Not really; we are grateful, but we are not going to bend over backward to please them. This is your life; don't make decisions out of gratitude."

At that moment, Maggie seemed wiser than her age, but Sophie wished she could tell Maggie that the bond between her and Damon Crest was more than gratitude; it was an unbreakable magic that caused her to lose reason at the thought of his name.

The music and the noise got more intense, but Maggie seemed to be enjoying herself; she was on her sixth glass of martini, while Sophie was eager to abscond, still on her second glass. Aslandians couldn't get inebriated, but still, Sophie felt it was sensible to drink slowly.

Soon she heard Maggie giggle, and when she glanced at her, she noticed that Maggie had gobbled down her sixth glass of martini.

"Slow down, Maggie!" Sophie yelled through the loud music.

Maggie giggled again. "What? Is the room spinning?"

Sophie chuckled. Maggie was foxed, and she was bored, so it was time to take off.

She came down from the bar stool and reached for Maggie when she heard Daniel's voice from behind her. "No, let me."

He lifted Maggie from her bar stool and placed her on her feet. She wobbled, nearly stumbling, and Daniel quickly supported her with his arm.

Maggie giggled. "Thanks, Daniel."

He smiled, revealing the dimples on his chiseled cheeks. "You are welcome. Our little drunk".

Daniel and Sophie held on to a drunk Maggie as they sauntered out of the cacophony into the parking space.

Sophie sighed. "I am so sorry about Maggie; I couldn't stop her."

Daniel chuckled. "It's okay; we all know Maggie does what she wants."

"I think you guys should kiss." Drunken Maggie suggested, and then she giggled again.

"Shut up, Maggie," Daniel retorted as he removed his keys from his pocket and unlocked his car.

"No, you know you want to." Drunken Maggie teased as she wiggled her lips.

Sophie laughed at Maggie's demeanor.

Her black, wavy, long hair was a mess; her pupils were dilated, and her cheeks were flushed. "I am so taking a picture."

"You guys are no fun," Maggie mumbled as Daniel laid her gently in the back seat of his car.

Sophie took a few pictures of Maggie in the back seat. Satisfied with the pictures she took, she turned to Daniel and smiled. "Thank you, Daniel, but how did you know where to find us?"

"Maggie texted me. You guys didn't drive here."

"Yeah, we took a taxi."

Concerned, he asked, "Is it too late to drop you home?"

Sophie smiled. "No, my curfew is at 11 p.m."

He checked his watch, and his brows furrowed. "It's 10:20, Sophie. We need to get you home before 11."

Daniel held open the car door in the front seat for her, and she got in quickly. "Thanks"

Throughout the drive home, she noticed that he kept stealing glimpses of her. Daniel was handsome, kind, and sensible, but most importantly, even with all the attention he got, he was not a narcissist, and yet some part of her still wished he was Damon as her mind drifted to their last car ride almost five years ago.

"Can we go in?" Daniel asked nervously as he parked outside the gates of the Crest Mansion.

"It's fine. Just honk."

He did. Immediately, the gates opened, and he drove into the driveway of the mansion and parked near enough to the mansion.

Sophie opened the door and got out of the car, and Daniel followed her.

"Thanks for the ride home." She grinned at him, conserving a distance, although he tried to move closer.

He smiled back at her. "You know what would be great?"

"What?"

"Allowing me to take you out on a date."

"That would be impossible," Damon called out as he walked towards them.

He had grown taller and more muscular, as Sophie observed from the outline of his silhouette. When his features came into view, she smiled on impulse as she stared at the most breathtaking man she had ever seen.

He glared at Daniel before staring at her, his gaze full of emotions. "You haven't responded to any of my texts this week."

At his reminder, resentment raged through her veins enough to release her from her lust trance, but before she could tell him off, Daniel spoke.

"Hi, you must be Damon Crest, Sophie's older brother. You are a legend at Crest High. Do you remember me? I am Daniel Smith, Maggie's older brother. We met when I was little."

Damon smirked. "Did Sophie tell you I was her older brother?"

"No, not really; an older cousin maybe?"

Damon shook his head, slightly amused, with his arms folded.

"I just assumed because I've seen you guys together since we were kids." Daniel strumbled on his words, and then his gaze settled on Sophie for an explanation.

"He is nobody," Sophie answered. Her voice was filled with contempt as she glared at Damon, and then she walked away.